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Monday, February 25, 2013

BLOG 39. Bent Blades are Best!

BLOG 39. BENT BLADES ARE
BEST

By Cliff Jacobson

Straight paddles have their place—and that place is in
whitewater, where palms-up braces and thumbs-up rudders are part of the game.
And also, in show-off FreeStyle where everyone smiles and listens to music but
no one goes anywhere.

But for flat-water cruising, bent-paddles rule, and that’s
why every racer uses them. The diagram shows why bent-blades are more efficient
(figure 3-1).

C-1 speed racers are the exception to this rule.They use long, straight paddles and a sky-scraper kneeling
position.How long do you think
you can paddle this way and still retain your sanity?

Here, in no particular order are why bent blades are best
for cruising:

·You need less effort to keep the canoe on course
with a “pitch” or “J” stroke.Why?
Because the bent-blade runs partly under the canoe during the stroke,
wheras a straight blade runs along side it.It’s a canoeing axiom that the closer to the keel-line you
paddle, the less directional correction is needed.

·Bent-blades are better for your body. There’s
less twisting of the shaft and your hand during the stroke so carpal-tunnel and
tennis-elbow aches are minimized.This is a huge advantage if you will paddle a solo canoe for hours at a
time.

·You can use the “sit’n switch” stroke which big
time racers prefer. Yes, you can switch sides with a long, straight paddle, but
it’s not fast or pretty.

·Paddling with a bent-shaft is best described as
more “push down than pull back”. With a straight paddle it’s more “pull
back”.This saves your arms and
back.

·Cross-bow draws are more efficient because the
blade has more reach.

·Bow-draws in the solo canoe are more efficient
because the blade has more reach.

·The “rolled-ever” directional grip of the
bent-paddle encourages a more comfortable hold.You don’t have to clutch the grip as firmly as with a straight
paddle.

Cliff, with bent-shaft paddle--standing on a "lump of coal": Teddy Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

The best bent-shaft paddles are made of
carbon-fiber and have twelve-degree bends.Fourteen’s feel awkward to me.Most racers prefer 12 degrees. The slightly shallower 12-degree bend encourages a more upright paddling position. Heft a 14-degree paddle and "paddle through the air a few times". The paddle feels unbalanced and "bent", doesn't it? Try the same with a 12-degree shaft. Note the improvement in balance and precision.

Tip: the “pitch” and
“J” strokes are easier if you use a longer paddle than the typical length used for racing.Fifty-six inches works well in both my
Bell Yellowstone solo canoe and in my Dagger Venture tandem canoe.

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